Breaking: DeMint retiring from Senate

posted at 10:46 am on December 6, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), who has led conservatives in the upper chamber for years, will resign his office next month, according to a statement from his office earlier this morning. DeMint will move across town to the Heritage Foundation and will become its new president:

Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) announced that he will leave the Senate at the beginning of January to become the next president of The Heritage Foundation, the largest and most respected conservative think tank in America.

“It’s been an honor to serve the people of South Carolina in United States Senate for the past eight years, but now it’s time for me to pass the torch to someone else and take on a new role in the fight for America’s future.

“I’m leaving the Senate now, but I’m not leaving the fight. I’ve decided to join The Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas. No organization is better equipped to lead this fight and I believe my experience in public office as well as in the private sector as a business owner will help Heritage become even more effective in the years to come.

“I’m humbled to follow in the footsteps of Ed Feulner, who built the most important conservative institution in the nation. He has been a friend and mentor for years and I am honored to carry on his legacy of fighting for freedom.

“My constituents know that being a Senator was never going to be my career. I came to Congress as a citizen legislator and I’ve always been determined to leave it as citizen legislator. South Carolina has a deep bench of conservative leaders and I know Governor Haley will select a great replacement.

“One of the most rewarding things I’ve done in the Senate is work with the grassroots to help elect a new generation of leaders who have the courage to fight for the principles of freedom that make this country so great. I’m confident these senators will continue the legacy of conservative leaders before them.”

Jim DeMint was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998 after owning a successful advertising and market research company for twenty years. DeMint left the House after limiting himself to three terms and then was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 and re-elected in 2010.

During his time in office, DeMint has been tireless advocate for Americans taxpayers. His goal has been to support and defend the Constitution, which was written to preserve liberty by restraining the federal government. Toward that end, he authored legislation to balance the budget, ban earmarks, replace the tax code, and reform our entitlement programs. He also led the fight against unconstitutional power grabs like the Wall Street bailout and Obamacare.

Sen. DeMint’s departure means that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican, will name a successor, who will have to run in a special election in 2014. In that year, both Mr. DeMint’s replacement and Sen. Lindsey Graham will be running for reelection in South Carolina.

Mr. DeMint was reelected to a second term in 2010. The 61-year-old senator had announced earlier that he would not seek a third term.

Frankly, I’m disappointed by the move, although this gives Heritage a big boost. I had hoped to see DeMint act as a conservative leader in the Senate for the next four years, especially with Democrats taking a bigger majority after this past election. Haley will make a wise appointment, I’m sure, and other Republicans in the chamber will get an opportunity to fill his shoes. However, considering the fights ahead of us, it would have been much better to have DeMint as a stalwart on the inside rather than an activist on the outside.

Regardless, I wish Senator DeMint the best, and thank him for his invaluable service to the conservative cause over the last several years. I’m glad we’ll see him at Heritage, and look forward to the great work he will do there.

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Comments

Paul was speaking about protecting all whistleblowers, and he used the plural; he was also speaking hypothetically in illustrating the need for us to support rather than condemn whistleblowers.

Dante on December 6, 2012 at 5:14 PM

I agree that whistleblowers need protection, but Bradley Manning is in a different class. Under the UCMJ, the rules are different and members of the military know this. For example, no one would imagine that a judge in a civil court (as in civilian, not tort/contracts) could order the defendant to be forcibly shaven, especially if his beard has a religious connotation to it. As we have seen in the Major Nidal Hassan case, such can happen in a military proceeding.

One more thing about “whistleblowers.” Not everyone is a whistleblower nor can everyone cloak himself in the glory of whistleblowerdom. As the saying goes about freedom fighters, so too about whistleblowers. A German-American, who was sympathetic to Nazi Germany, could not provide classified information regarding D-Day to Hitler or the New York Times and call himself a whistleblower just because he opposed the planned operation knowing that many, many, many thousands of people would die on both sides. It was NOT his decision to make.

Hasan has previously indicated he would like to plead guilty, but he can’t because the charges he faces carry a possible death sentence. A guilty plea to lesser charges that don’t carry a possible death sentence would be permissible, but prosecutors would have to accept such an arrangement.

The swine, with profuse apologies to the clean pigs, had no problem killing so many, but fears the death penalty. May he meet his virgins, soon. May the ants begin to eat him alive.

Why DeMint really wanted to leave is not clear. The Boehner McConnell crowd have accelerated their effort to crowd out the Tea Party so they can pretend there is consensus for their next step.

DeMint probably got the back alley hand signal that the big Bazoo was going to take him down if he didn’t shut up. It is lonely in the Senate if Big Bazoo doesn’t like you. They’ve been dropping press balloons about DeMint being a jerk

Bazoo probably likes Reid better than DeMint. They speak the same language

Haley will appoint a successor who will not be a DeMint. On the other hand, DeMint will get more tv time in his new job, and he won’t take the blame for what is about to happen.

The long shot explanation is a health problem. It is better to drop out early for health, and get an appointed replacement who can prove themselves for the next election. However, even a healthy DeMint has people who would like him to be in the hospital.

The Mittscreants are venting their spleen attacking Palin. Several drooled like rabid dogs looking for revenge daring never to gaze upon themselves in a mirror for fear of being confronted with how low they have sunk.

That doesn’t seem like enough money to be her ghost writer. Not that I care one way or another, but I am a better writer than speaker. No one can see me edit or lose my train of thought or struggle with the word I want to use.

I still like Mittwitts better, it doesn’t seem so derogatory. At least they have laid his loss at her door. She didn’t say enough good stuff about him, or she said too much bad stuff about Obama, or she didn’t wear her hair the right way on a show where he was mentioned.

I know. My point was that a judge in a civilian court would never get away with that, but the military has rules that infringe upon rights that we take for granted everyday. That’s just the way it is. Adultery is a crime. Facial hair is banned and the number of tattoos can be limited. There’s no such thing as “free speech.” &c. Bradley Manning is in the military and he understood the rules. He also knew that it was a crime to disseminate classified information.

An avid Michael Savage listener, here’s his opinion why Jim DeMint left.
The republican party is pushing him out of the Senate & has said they won’t support him any longer.
The GOP doesn’t like true conservatives. Well, I also thought that DeMint wasn’t planning to run again in 2016, but it is an opinion.
Also, why instead of the GOP saying no tax hikes for any income group….instead suggest closing loopholes for the corporations that don’t pay taxes, or pay them at a lower rate. Michael suggests that you won’t hear about that in any serious discussion from either side because both parties benefit from this.

The Republican Establishment in the Senate have never given DeMint support, but I think he made his own decision. I’m satisfied with what he said on Rush’s show today. He was on several Committees and many Sub Committees.

I think the opportunity with Heritage is going to be good for him, the Conservatives and the Country. He’ll be able to do more there, just as Sarah Palin has.

As Savage says on closing loopholes on the Corporations would be a good idea, however this Administration won’t compromise; it’s their way or the highway.

Are you trying to say Palin doesn’t write her own material? That’s an old, tired chestnut. I suppose she doesn’t read newspapers, either, or sees Russia from her front porch, or that she doesn’t know Africa is a continent, etc., etc.

Heritage Foundation has truly become the bastion of Conservative Principles.

TheAlamos on December 7, 2012 at 4:49 AM

You mean like their support for Romneycare?

Look, I admire DeMint. But it is definitely news that he is quitting mid-term. He had always said that 2010 would be his last term, and he did put forth a good eight years, but his term was supposed to end in 2016. There must be a reason for this; Jim DeMint believes he can do more good as part of a private think tank than in the bowels of Washington. Think about that, and how far we’ve fallen as a nation.

What I find interesting is that when moderates in a party retire (e.g., Olympia Snowe), it’s because they’re frustrated that everything is so polarized. Now we have a big right winger retiring, and is the answer that he doesn’t feel like he can get anything done because the government is too moderate?

Quit repeating stupidity. One dissenting opinion does not reflect upon entire organization.

Shame that no one is paying attention to McConnell these past few days and right on the cusp of DeMint’s leave. All of a sudden McConnell is displaying lots of conservative back bone. Co-incidence? I think not.

Between Bozel and DeMint now it should be clear to old school GOP that the days of them getting easy money for re-elections are pretty much over. Most of that money will now filter through DeMint so his move to Heritage is nothing but a plus for all of us. The likes of Adelson, Koch brothers and others will have someone they trust handle elections support.

McConnell at least seems like he is smarter than Boehner. Let’s hope it continues.

Although I wish him the best in his career move, I am disappointed for a couple of reasons: 1) good senator but 2) I wish he would have finished his term. Doesn’t anyone believe in commotment, even when it isn’t covenient? Must just be my generation that was taught that.